Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A52357
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The true liberty & dominion of conscience vindicated, from the usurpations & abuses of opinion, and persuasion
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Nalson, John, 1638?-1686.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing N117; ESTC R19982
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50,790
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152
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God's glory and the truth act contrary to the Rule of Truth and Righteousness But if at the last it shall be found that they have not been managed by Conscience but Opinion and Persuasion what can they expect but the greatest severities and insufferable torments and agonies of Conscience the worm that never dies which should put all men upon a strict examination of themselves especially those who pretend to be so much managed by Conscience whether it be a true and good Conscience or onely these Deceivers and Usurpers Opinion and Persuasion Secondly it follows That Indifferent things in Religious Worship laying no further Obligation upon mens Consciences than as they conduce to God's glory and the happiness of the Universe and a Lawful Authority having a Power to put a final determination upon every man's private Judgment and Opinion by declaring which of all these indifferent things they judge most conducive to God's glory and the happiness of all those under their Jurisdiction by promoting and preserving Peace Unity and Charity Therefore that all persons who live under their Authority are bound in Conscience to submit to those Determinations and from thence-forward to esteem that which before was in its own nature indifferent to become necessary because hereby many known Duties and particularly that of Obedience to Magistrates without which there can be no happiness on Earth are performed to the satisfaction of an absolute and indispensible Obligation of Conscience Lastly it follows That all men are bound in Conscience to promote and endeavour the well-being of the Lawful Government under which they live and as much as in them lies the happiness of all Mankind even here in this life Nor can they follow the Dictates of true Religion or Conscience whatever they may pretend or imagine who for their private Opinions make Parties break Laws despise Governments give disturbances to the Peace and Security of their Native Countrey at home and by promoting Faction Dissention and Division give encouragement to our Enemies abroad And by too just fears from what has been of what may be again by the same ways and artifices to make mens minds uneasie and their lives unhappy And should their Designs succeed a second time to involve so many millions in the calamities of War Confusion Ruine and Desolation These have been and are the proper effects of Disobedience to Laws and Lawful Authority and let all Dissenters look well to it for they will find here is no Conscience no Religion to be found in such ways and ends to which their Separation and Division do most infallibly lead them I wish I could conclude this Discourse with the most persuasive Arguments and irresistable Reason That all Christian People and especially those Dissenters of these Nations would seriously consider with themselves whether these Discords and Differences about Religious affairs will in the end lead them and in time turn back again before they come to the dismal brink of those Precipices Misery here and Damnation hereafter which when by a too late Repentance they would avoid they will not be able I wish they would no longer abuse that glorious name of Conscience to countenance those Irreligious practises of Disobedience Uncharitableness Dissention and Separation Let them consider what it is in this World that is most desirable and whether they do not act point blank contrary to their own Interest and Happiness both here and hereafter and directly against the publick Good of the Community of which they are Members and whether they may not justly fear that by these dangerous and unlawful practices they should so far exasperate Authority as to exercise its utmostrigors and severities upon them as being out of all hopes to reclaim them by gentle means and justly jealous of their malicious secret and ill designs in reality against the State though the pretence be onely against the present Church and its Government Let them consider that if they desire to have peace within their private Walls and plenteousness within their stately Palaces if they desire to enjoy quiet of mind at home tranquility peace and unity one amongst another that Justice should run down as a River and Righteousness us a mighty Stream That Truth should spring out of the Earth and Righteousness look down from Heaven That Mercy and Truth should meet together Righteousness and Peace should kiss each other and that glory may dwell in our Land If they desire to be safe from intestine and domestick troubles secure from Forreign force and invasion to be loved respected and honoured by their Friends and Allies dreaded by their greatest Enemies to be great in Riches great in Fame and greater in all Goodness and Virtue to be the joy and glory of all Lands If they desire these there is no way to obtain them but by uniting our selves with this common Bond and indissoluble Chain of a good Conscience towards God and all men which will teach every man his duty keep every man quietly peaceably and contentedly in his place and station and secure unto us all those dear Delights of Humane Nature Peace Property and Religion If they desire these thus must they endeavour after them and if they will not endeavour after them we cannot but judge that they do not desire them And I am sure if they do not desire these blessings both for themselves and all others they neither deserve them nor any love pity favour countenance or kindness but ought to be look'd upon not as men but fierce and savage Beasts Wolves Tigers and Bears given to Prey Rapine and Ravage and they may easily ghess what will follow if once they come to be look'd upon and esteemed such Lastly if they have any love or kindness for their Souls or ever hope for eternal Salvation it must not be expected without obedience to God obedience to Government and obedience to Conscience After all this I will hope that those happy days will shine upon us Psal 122 3. in which we may say Our Jerusalem is built as a City that is compact or at unity with it self And that we shall be able to sing that glorious and triumphant Song of Praise and Thanksgiving Psal 48.1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the City of our God in the mountain of his holiness Beautiful for situation the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion on the sides of the North the City of the great King God is well known in her Palaces as a sure Refuge To hasten which blessed and happy Age let every good Christian lay to his helping hand and his praying heart by endeavouring to follow the example of the great Apostle St. Paul which is the great Concern and Interest of every Man both in reference to Happiness here and hereafter Keeping alwayes a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards all Men. FINIS
themselves who would think it the greatest injustice upon the account of their being Churchmen to lose a good Temporal Estate from their Ancestors or a Barony either by Descent or Royal Bounty Besides let all men judge if this would not be the way to furnish us with Jeroboam's Priests of the meanest and lowest of the People not onely for Birth but Learning Parts and Ability And what a discouragement it would be to the Gentry and Nobility who by their Generous Birth Advantageous Education Noble Alliances and many other Excellent Circumstances and qualifications are fitted by the great influence they may have both upon the Prince and People to do both the Church and Sate the most considerable Honour and Service I am afraid few of them would addict themselves to the more serious and painful Studies of Divinity if by their devoting themselves to an immediate attendance upon God's Altar they must cast off the Entail of Temporal Honours and Estates from themselves Nor does this derogate a little from the superlative Bounty and Goodness of the Divine Nature to think that he who does so plentifully frequently and freely bestow these Honours and Estates as blessings upon all other Conditions of men should prohibit and deny them to those who have voluntarily obliged themselves to his peculiar Service and upon whom he is pleased to confer the excellent Title of his Ambassadors 2 Cor. 5.20 and therefore most certainly does allow them honorably so as to be able to support the Dignity of so high a Character especially since they have his Royal word and promise for it 1 Sam. 2.30 Them that honour me I will honour Prince and Priest were not by God thought inconsistent under the Law in that Government which he himself constituted and establish'd And therefore one word in the Hebrew Language signisies both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And till such time as he is pleased to declare his mind to the contrary I know not upon what pretence any man should divorce those two which he had once made one Neither by virtue of these Lordships do Bishops Lord it over Christs Flock as by the scoffing wantonness of some men who should be more serious than to be witty at the expence of Scripture they are said to do since it is clear that their Temporal Baronies give them not the least influence upon Church affairs more than they give unto the other Noble Peerage of the Realm And the Jurisdiction of a Bishop as a Bishop and a Bishop as a Baron are as wholly distinct as that of a Lord of a Manor or any other Lord is from the power of a Bishop in his Diocess 1 Tim. 3.2 In a word A Bishop must be given to Hospitality how shall he be able to do that without an Estate If he must have an Estate he must be Lord of it for so is every man of what he does possess and if it shall be thought fit by Royal Authority the Fountain of Honour to add to that common Right a more particular and distinguishing Title of Honour that may offend some mens Ambition or Envy but can never be found to be either diadvantageous to the â—hurch or State or contrary to the Scripture the Rule of Conscience From what hath been said it appears that no other way of Government in the Church can really pretend to those advantages which may make an indifferent thing become necessary and obliging to Conscience except the Episcopal by which it follows that to submit to this Form of Government as it is now establish'd in the Church is so far from being against a good Conscience that no man can resist it without sinning against Conscience since it has all the qualisications which are necessary for the making an indifferent thing become obligatory to every mans Conscience which all the other pretenders want viz. It comes nearest to the Rule of Scripture it follows the better more sure and warrantable part of our judgment it answers all the ends of Government by promoting the Glory of God and contributing to the happiness of mankind here by procuring Peace Unity and Concord and hereafter by teaching commanding and practising true Piety and Holiness And it is evident that to dissent from this Government can never be the effect of Conscience but of Opinion or Persuasion neither of which can lay any obligation upon mens minds which is absolute and indispensible as before has been made most evidently appear I wish that all Dissenters would seriously reflect with themselves whilst they do so violently cry up Conscience and pretend it for their seperation whether they have not abused themselves and the World in mistaking Opinion and Persuasion for it of which they may easily be satisfied by an impartial application of what has before been said of this particular After all this we shall difficultly be persuaded to relinquish the Plea of a Divine Right in Episcopacy for which so much reason has been and may be brought to prove it and upon which we shall have occasion briefly to touch hereafter CHAP. X. Of the manner and circumstances of Divine Worship and how from being indifferent they may become necessary to be done and obliging to Conscience THus have we seen that though private and false Opinion or prejudiced and mistaken Persuasion and it may be malicious Design and Interest combined with discontented Envy may be loud and clamorous against this Government of the Church by the excellent and antient way of Episcopacy yet Conscience is so far from being against it that it is wholly and clearly for it Let us now come to examine the manner of performance of Divine Worship which has occasioned no small stirs tumults and divisions amongst us And here likewise I suppose that all Parties do thus far agree that there ought to be some Modes and Circumstances in the Worship and Service of God that is some Time some Place some Words Gestures Postures and Habits for the performance both of Publick and Private Worship which Conscience tells us we are bound to pay unto Almighty God Herein likewise I suppose that all Parties are agreed that these things or however such of them as are in controversie amongst us are in their own natures indifferent and therefore properly the subject of Opinion or Persuasion and were there no determination on either side provided the Duty of Worship were performed it might be done this way or the other And from hence likewise it appears that no Circumstance of Religious Worship is in its own nature simply unlawful because no where in Scripture prohibited either in direct words or by necessary consequence so that no mans Conscience can be justly offended by the performance of any of them since where there is no Law there can be no transgression Let any Dissenters therefore shew either a positive command or a plain consequence from Scripture why I should not serve God in a set form of Prayers and Praises or